Do you enjoy traveling by airplane and going to airports?
Well, if you do, today's episode is going to be great, and if you don't, today's episode will help you a lot.
Hey there, and welcome back my friends to the Easy English Podcast.
The show that helps you build your English skills in fun, practical and real life ways.
I'm Oliver and I'm so glad that you're here today.
And today we are going on a special little journey.
No passport required.
We are diving into English for travel with a special focus on airports.
This episode is going to help you to understand what to say, what to expect and how to feel more confident with your English when you're travelling in airports and transport abroad.
Whether you're planning a trip soon or you're dreaming of an adventure in the future, then this episode should help you.
And don't forget if you're one of our amazing Patreon supporters, you get access to bonus advanced episodes every week, which you can access through Spotify and other platforms too.
So if you want to support and join, check out the link in the description.
Okay, let's head to the airport.
So before we enter the airport, we are going to look at some essential vocabulary.
As in recent episodes, at the start of each episode, I want to give you a few words which you're going to hear in this episode and I'm going to give you their definitions and an example.
This will help you to look out for them and understand what they mean when I say them.
And the vocabulary list, a link to it will be included in the description below.
It's completely free to access just so you can add it to flip cards or study materials.
The first word or phrase is check in, check in.
And to check in.
It's the process of confirming your flight and handing in your luggage at the airport.
For example, I checked in online to save time at the airport.
Our next phrase is boarding pass, boarding pass.
And this is a ticket that shows your seat and sort of seat number and gate that you're boarding at.
For example, don't forget your boarding pass when you go through security.
Our next word is departure gate.
And this is the place where passengers wait to board the plane.
For example, we are waiting at gate 12 for our flight to Paris.
Okay, almost there.
Word number four, layover or stopover.
Both mean the same thing.
And this is a short stay between flights.
For example, we have a two-hour layover in Amsterdam.
Okay, the next one, delayed or cancelled.
Delayed is when a flight is late, and cancelled is when the flight does not happen or will not happen.
For example, our flight was delayed due to bad weather.
Or, our flight was cancelled due to bad weather.
Our next phrase, this is a more difficult one, which you've probably seen.
Customs, customs.
The area where your luggage is checked after an international flight.
For example, we had to declare some items at customs.
Okay, so we are ready to enter the airport.
Let's imagine you've just arrived at the airport.
You have your bags, your passport and hopefully your excitement.
And the first thing that you'll usually see when you enter the airport is the check-in desks.
The check-in desks.
And if you haven't already checked in online, This is where you will go to check in, to confirm that you're there and to put your luggage through.
So you might even, if you have it with you, have to drop off your luggage when you check in.
And here is a simple, natural phrase that you can use when you're at the check-in desk.
Usually the staff there will ask you, where are you flying to today?
And you can say, hi, I'm flying to Rome, for example.
Oh, I wish I was flying to Rome today.
How exciting that would be.
And then staff will usually ask for your passport.
So if you don't have your tickets yet, you will just give them your passport.
And to be honest, the English required here is not so difficult.
Usually, they'll just ask where you're flying.
They will ask for your passport.
And they might ask you some additional questions if you require a visa for where you're traveling.
They might ask to see your visa.
They also may then ask if you have baggage, they will want you to lift your bag and weigh it.
So they may say to you, put your bag on the scale.
I need to weigh it or something related to weighing your bag.
So I would just listen for those phrases to do with weight and to do with your luggage or bag.
And you will know that you have to put the bag on the scale.
But in general, when you're dealing with airline staff so staff that work for the airlines, the companies, for the planes They usually are used to hearing many different accents and different levels of English.
So don't worry about being perfect.
They are usually very international people and they are used to very different accents, nationalities and languages.
So just be polite and clear.
Once you have given them your passport and they've weighed your bag and they've taken the luggage, they will usually give you your boarding pass.
So your boarding pass is like your printed ticket.
You might have it digital if you checked in online already.
But if they're giving you the boarding pass, they will usually hand it to you and say you'll be boarding at gate and then the gate number.
And they will then direct you to security.
Usually I try to check in online before going to the airport because I hate queuing.
Queuing when we stand in a line. waiting for our turn.
Sometimes it can be very stressful, especially at the airport, when you're waiting on your flight and the time is coming closer and closer to when your flight will leave.
So usually it really helps to check in online, which is why I always make sure to do it.
And I noticed that some airlines now have a feature where, even if you have baggage so luggage a bag you can check in online and then simply drop your bag.
Leave your bag um at a bag drop location, and this can help speed up your check-in process.
Okay, so our next stop is security at the airport, and here is where you'll need to put your bags on the belt and go through a scanner.
You might hear staff saying things like laptops and liquids in a separate tray please, and make sure you don't have anything in your pockets, okay.
So one thing that i noticed is quite new now in the uk that makes um security so much easier.
They have new scanners that don't require you to take anything out of your bags.
So you don't need to worry about your liquids, about anything that you have in your bag like laptops electronics, all of that.
So it's very simple.
Just leave it in the bag and put it through the scanner belt.
No English required, but some phrases that could be useful to know in advance if you're not sure about something.
Don't be afraid to use these phrases to ask.
For example, you could say, do I need to take my shoes off?
And they may ask you to take your shoes off.
Can I leave my phone in the bag?
Just simple questions are fine.
Okay.
So after this point, if you're traveling internationally, you might have to go through passport control or customs.
So if you're entering a new country, some of the questions they may ask you are what's the purpose of your visit?
What's the purpose of your visit?
Basically, why are you here?
And you can answer honestly and simply.
Border control guards are not looking for perfect long English phrases.
In most cases, you can just say tourism.
Tourism, if you're traveling for work, work.
Another question they might ask you is how long are you staying?
How long are you staying?
And this is only for the length of time.
A good response to that can be, I'm here on holiday for two weeks.
Or you can simply say, two weeks.
Just tell them how much time.
They shouldn't ask you any more complicated questions.
And in terms of the English, the only other things I can think about is they might ask to see your tickets.
They might ask to see a return ticket or your hotel booking.
So look out for those key phrases like booking or tickets.
And in general, they are also used to speaking to lots of different nationalities.
So don't be too stressed.
You'll be absolutely fine.
So now you've made it through security and you've made it through passport control and you are at what we would call the departure gate.
And there's often some waiting involved.
And this is a great chance for you to practice some small talk in English.
You might be sitting next to someone while waiting on your flight.
Here are a few phrases that you can use to start a conversation and also pass some of that time, so you're not bored waiting on this flight.
A good entry point to conversation is to confirm some information.
You might look at someone and say, is this the flight to Dublin?
And they'll probably reply.
Oh yeah, this is the flight to Dublin.
You could ask someone is this your first time flying with this airline, or maybe you can make a comment about the weather?
I hope the weather's better when we arrive and if you're unsure about anything around um the departure gate, Make sure to ask someone.
People are usually friendly and happy to help.
You can say, sorry, do you know when boarding starts?
Or I think I could be at the wrong gate.
Is this the flight to Belfast?
And they will likely want to help and start a conversation.
So once you're on the plane, you've boarded and found your seat.
There are a few useful phrases that you might hear from staff.
They may ask you to fasten your seatbelt.
Fasten.
To fasten, it means to close, so to lock your seatbelt, to put it into place and use it properly.
They might ask you if you want a drink or a snack if they're passing with the trolley.
They may also ask you to put your seat upright or your tray up as well.
The tray is where you put.
It's like the little table on the plane that you can use for your meal or devices.
So they often ask you to put it up for takeoff and landing and to keep your seat upright.
So don't have your seat back.
And if you want to ask for anything, simply follow the same structure that I always teach.
Just say, excuse me, could I have and what you would like and say please and thank you.
When you're traveling, particularly with airlines and on airports, you're dealing with lots of different nationalities.
So I think it's always better to be safe and make sure to use please, thank you, could I?
Can I those more polite options?
Because you don't know where the person is from, what their cultural context is, and it's much better to be safe.
You know people are not going to get angry at you for being polite, but they may get a little bit annoyed or angry for not being polite.
That's the way I always like to think about using those phrases.
Okay, so the plane has taken off, you've had your flight, you've enjoyed it.
What do you think about flying in general?
I wonder if you enjoy it.
For me.
I actually find that once I am through the airport and I'm on the plane and taking off, I'm quite relaxed.
I don't mind flying.
The part that I don't like is the airport.
The stress of queuing, getting through security, making sure that you have everything.
It's quite stressful.
And then, usually, there are some very noisy people.
Maybe some children crying or screaming.
And when the airport is busy, it is such a pain.
I think it is...
It's just horrible because you're tired.
You want to just get to your seat on the plane and relax.
And for me, the experience on the plane is much better.
I can just sit back, relax, listen to some music or a podcast, sleep. read, take time for myself.
I really enjoy this part of the travel experience, let's say.
Okay, so now our next section is after you arrive.
But first, before that, I want to remind you if you're listening and you're not subscribed or following the podcast, And make sure you follow.
It helps me to grow this podcast.
And it also helps to keep you updated when new episodes come out.
Over 60% of listeners on this podcast are not following it or subscribed.
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You get access to additional bonus episodes every week with more advanced topics, more advanced vocabulary, faster speech, and it helps to support me as well and support this project and in doing so, you get access to all of the previous bonus episodes.
I think there's like nearly 20 bonus episodes, including a separate series, which are only available on Patreon.
So thank you so much and let's get back to the episode.
So you've now arrived in your destination.
I hope it's somewhere nice, somewhere relaxing, maybe somewhere with good weather.
And you're going to collect your luggage.
Now where we collect our luggage is usually called the baggage claim.
Baggage claim.
And you can see these marked as baggage belts or baggage claim on the signs, or sometimes luggage claim or luggage belt.
So keep an eye out for those phrases on the sign.
And you're waiting and waiting on your bag, but it's not arriving.
I can't see my bag.
Oh, no, this is a disaster.
So what can we do?
Well, I would want to make a polite complaint.
And here's the best way to do that.
You can go up to a member of staff and say, you know, excuse me, I think my bag hasn't arrived.
And usually they'll then take you through the process.
You can describe your bag.
Let's do a pretend example.
So, excuse me, I think my bag hasn't arrived.
Okay, sir, what does your bag look like?
It was a black suitcase with a red tag.
What should I do?
Okay, I haven't seen that bag.
Perhaps I can look into this for you.
Is there a form I need to fill out?
So you can notice in this conversation, we're using calm and respectful language.
I know that when people get frustrated if they've lost something, of course your speech can become a bit more angry, a bit more direct and in reality, some people believe that this gets things done more.
But in the context of an airport, it most certainly does not.
Being polite to workers will get you better results.
And you only have to look at it yourself when you travel, when you see people shouting at staff.
It always ends badly.
It never ends with the airline staff suddenly giving you everything that you want.
Airports can be stressful environments and working in those jobs in airports is also very stressful.
There is only so much that those workers can do and sometimes things are outside of their control.
So do try to use calm language when we're making complaints and making points to members of staff.
Okay, so maybe your flight was delayed and you've missed a connection.
A connection flight is one that you make in another airport.
So you've flown to your first destination and then you get your connection flight.
And a connection flight is that second stage in your journey.
It's stressful, of course, when a flight is delayed or cancelled.
But here's how to ask for help without panic.
You simply can get a member of staff and say, Hi, I've missed my connecting flight to the location.
Can you help me?
That's it.
Just can you help me?
It's a powerful phrase.
It usually helps a lot.
Just can you help me?
And then you can ask as well, if you're a bit confused will the airline provide a hotel if I have to stay overnight?
This has happened to me multiple times.
I've had multiple cancellations and problems with airlines over the last number of years.
And I've had to stay in hotels.
And, most of the time, make sure that you ask these questions to find out what you are entitled to, entitled to.
That means what they need to give you under law, what you're covered for.
And again, just remember to be polite with some of these phrases such as would you mind helping me sort this out?
Or I understand it's not your fault, but I really need help with this.
That's an excellent phrase.
When you see a flight canceled or delayed, of course there are going to be so many people going to member of staff asking questions complaining, and this phrase really helps to get them on your side to help you.
Okay, so travel today, online and apps.
So travel is not just face-to-face.
You're getting emails or messages from airlines all the time.
So some phrases you might come across when you're booking online.
If the website's in English and you're reading it in English, you might see words like non-refundable.
So it means that you can't get your money back if you cancel or you want to cancel.
You could see flexible ticket.
Flexible, it means you can move it, you can change it.
So you can change your ticket date or your flight at a later date.
You might see hand luggage only so you don't get your hold luggage, which is the big bag that goes in the plane.
So these are some phrases to look out for when you're booking online.
And I guess that brings me to the point about when you're booking a holiday.
So, now that we've finished our journey, we've made it to the location, we've got our bag finally, and everything has been fine.
You can see that from the process There's actually not really that many instances, not many situations when we have to speak that much in English.
So don't stress.
It's not too bad.
Remember that in any airport international airport, especially abroad, at any time, there are so many different cultures languages, people and so many people that don't speak english.
So you will survive, you will be great, you will do fine um, and yeah, you will make it to your journey and it'll be fine.
So don't stress, just speak english to the best of your ability, use some of these phrases we talked about today and, in general, just stick to the basics that everyone in an airport is trying to do a job or they're trying to get somewhere, and it can be quite stressful, so Keep it simple.
Keep it very simple.
So yeah, you might be thinking after this trip you'll be wondering hmm, I want to book another holiday.
And I guess nowadays, most people seem to book online.
So we looked at some of those phrases to do with online bookings.
And how do you book your holidays?
Let me know in the comments.
How do you book your holidays?
Do you book them online?
Do you use a travel agency?
So one of those physical locations where you walk into the store and you pay and book for your package there.
It's quite interesting to me because I suppose I've always pretty much booked holidays online.
Even those travel agencies and package holidays, they do everything online now as well.
So this experience of going into the shop and booking the flight and holiday and package and selecting it all with an advisor is so strange to me.
It's so different.
So let me know.
I'm curious what experience you have had with booking holidays only online or also in person.
So there you have it a full journey through the airport, a scenario from check-in to arrival and lots of hopefully helpful English words along the way.
The purpose of this podcast was to give you practice listening to vocabulary about airports like departures security customs, that type of thing.
And travelling can be stressful, especially when you're using a second language.
But it doesn't have to be.
The more that you prepare, the more confident you will feel.
And remember, Mistakes are normal, especially when you're travelling.
What matters most is being clear, kind and calm.
I wouldn't expect your English to be at its best when you're dealing with travel.
Because you're stressing out.
You have to get to the flight on time.
Make sure everything is there.
Make sure everything goes smoothly and correct.
So of course, having perfect grammar and perfect speech is the last thing on your mind.
So don't worry.
Focus on just being clear, kind and calm.
Thank you for joining me today.
I hope this episode helps you to feel more confident on your next trip.
And don't forget to check out the vocabulary list in the link below and check out Patreon if you would like to have more bonus, advanced episodes with faster speech if you're ready to take your listening practice to the next level.
Okay, thank you so much for listening to this podcast.
I hope you have a fantastic rest of your day.
Goodbye.
